On May 3, 1969, the General Command of the Italian Carabinieri established a highly specialized unit to protect the cultural patrimony of Italy. This elite unit is known today as Il Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale (TPC)- The Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. 

The unit was headquartered in a beautiful Rococo building, designed by the architect Filippo Raguzzini, that was built from 1727-1728 and faced the Piazza di Sant’Ignazio in Rome (in 1975 the headquarters of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage was established adjacent to the TPC HQs). Italy was the very first nation to establish a unit to protect artistic patrimony and to investigate cultural heritage crimes.